Archive for July, 2014

A battery powered VW Golf has been in the works for some time. A prototype was built three years ago and now it will be mass-produced and released in America late next year. The sixth generation Volkswagen Golf body will feature a front-mounted electric motor that produces 114 horsepower and 199 lb-ft of torque, fed by a 24.2-kWh lithium-ion battery. Early reports say the E-Golf can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 10.4 seconds and has a top speed 87 miles per hour. Early reports also give the E-Golf a range of about 120 miles. The 120 mile range is much more than the average battery powered car in its class which averages about 80 miles per charge.

The 2015 E-Golf looks very similar to a Golf run by a standard internal combustion engine. The main differences are that the E-Golf sits on more aerodynamic wheels and the front of the car is closed off where it would normally be open, in order to cool the engine and promote better air intake. Each Golf has a unique color stripe from headlight to headlight depending on the model. The GTI bears a red stripe, the TDI Clean Diesel, a silver stripe and the battery-powered e-Golf wears a bright blue stripe.

According to Car and Driver Magazine, drivers can use two driving modes, Eco and Eco Plus, to change the way their e-Golf drives. There are also four regenerative braking settings, D1, D2, D3 and B. In heavy stop and go traffic, using the “B” setting will likely extend the e-Golf’s total driving range considerably more than the “D1” setting. In the event the battery does run down, VW claims the e-Golf can be recharged to 80 percent in 30 minutes using a DC quick-charger.

Almost every major brand of automaker has already released a zero-emission battery powered vehicle. Lars Menge, VW’s project manager of Product Strategy in America, explains the delay, saying, “we’d rather do it right the first time. We came up with a better car, so now all others have to stretch to follow us.” Some advantages of the e-Golf are that it doesn’t sacrifice interior space in order to make room for the battery. Its main competitor is the Nissan Leaf. It is worth noting the VW e-Golf has more power and weighs less than the Leaf. For more information and the 2015 e-Golf, visit Chapman Volkswagen.